Portland needs TriMet to prioritize electric buses: Guest opinion

Updated 3 weeks ago; Posted 7 mos ago

Passengers board an electric bus in Watertown, Mass. Cities across the country are quickly modernizing their fleet with electric buses and setting aggressive goals to buy more. However, writes Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, TriMet is buying just five.(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

TriMet is a key leader in our community in reducing congestion and increasing livability. Now the transit agency also has the opportunity to make our community healthier and reduce noise and climate impacts by phasing out its diesel buses and electrifying its fleet by 2035.

Transit agencies throughout the country are setting ambitious goals to move away from diesel buses to those with battery packs and electric motors. Our neighbors to the north in King County will add 120 new all-electric buses over the next three years and transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2034. New York City announced it will convert its bus system to an all-electric fleet by 2040 or sooner. San Francisco has committed to an all-electric fleet by 2035.

TriMet is buying just five electric buses. We can and must do better.

Our region suffers from significant diesel pollution, which is 100 times more toxic than gasoline exhaust and has particles so fine they slip through the lungs and into the bloodstream and brain. Average diesel pollution levels in Multnomah County are at least five to 10 times more than Oregon's state-established health benchmark.

When you apply Washington State's more protective benchmark, the Portland Metro area exceeds safe levels by as many as 8,555 times more.

TriMet is the largest user of diesel fuel in all of Oregon. The agency's bus fleet still uses many older buses that lack pollution controls, making Trimet a major contributor to this public health issue. Its buses run constantly through our dense neighborhoods and by our schools, hospitals and playgrounds.

State legislation will phase out the use of coal-generated electricity by 2030, meaning electric buses will be powered entirely from clean energy sources in the not too distant future. Moreover, batteries in these vehicles could serve as a key power storage facility as the region inches towards a "smart" and more efficient electrical grid.

Multnomah County and the City of Portland also have established a regional goal that our electricity come from 100 percent renewable sources by 2035 and our entire energy system, including transportation, come from 100 percent renewable source by 2050. In order to reach those goals, TriMet needs to be a proactive partner.

Electric buses provide quality of life benefits for both riders and for those who live near bus lines. Lower to the ground, they are considerably quieter than traditional buses. As TriMet appropriately increases the frequency of buses along many routes and in historically underserved parts of our community, electric buses would have tremendous benefits for transit riders and the communities through which buses operate.

In our region and across Oregon, we pride ourselves on our environmental leadership and innovative policies. Removing Harbor Drive from the Portland waterfront. Implementing the urban growth boundary to protect farm and forest land. Instituting the bottle bill.Implementing Clean Fuels standards and the Coal to Clean legislation. And TriMet has played a key role and been a leader in this field, from reintroducing urban rail to pioneering more accessible low-floor light rail cars.

Now TriMet has the opportunity to clean-up our air, take a bold step in protecting the climate and make our region even more livable in one fell swoop. It's time for TriMet to reflect our values by moving forward with a bold vision and sound strategy for electrifying the bus fleet.

Jessica Vega Pederson is a Multnomah County commissioner representing parts of southeast Portland. She also served in the Oregon legislature and chaired the House Energy & Environment Committee.

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